At Reading High School, cheerleaders are also Girl Scouts

"There's a lot of talk about how bad Reading High can be," said Janeice Burns, a cheerleader at the school. "Then they see cheerleaders, they're like, 'Oh they are just the peppy girls who just talk junk.' "

The Reading High cheerleaders are trying to break those stereotypes.

The girls are not only cheering for classmates battling on the gridiron or the hardwood, they are cheering on their community as Girl Scout Troop 1353.

About 60 cheerleaders from the high school and intermediate school make up the troop.

It started four years ago when high school cheerleading coach Crystal Gilmore-Harris was the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Take the Lead honoree. Take the Lead honors distinguished women in local communities "whose leadership and professional achievements make the world a better place," according to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania's website.

At the dinner, Gilmore-Harris approached Valencia Lea-Reigel, who implements Girl Scouts programs in Reading, with the idea of turning the high school cheerleading squad into a Girl Scout troop.

"When I first said that we would do it I said, 'What did I just sign us up for?' " Gilmore-Harris said. "But it has been beneficial. It stuck with us from the very first time. The very first day we marched down 13th Street and invited Girl Scout troops from all over the city of Reading. The little girls loved it. That was powerful for us. (The cheerleaders) were being mentors. Little girls were looking up to them."

'4 years later going strong'

From the outset, Gilmore-Harris knew it would be an uphill battle to be a successful Girl Scout troop and cheerleading squad.

"Here you almost have to make sure you're not going to fail. Because if you do, right away people will say 'Oh, I told you that was gonna happen with that,' " she said. "When you're a kid at Reading High most people talk negative about you, but this such a positive piece for them. Here we are four years later going strong."

The cheerleaders know that if they fail it will reinforce a negative stereotype of Reading High students.

"We can break those stereotypes," said Brianne Everett, a senior and cheerleader at Reading High.

"We don't have to live up to those people's expectations," Burns added.

But being a Girl Scout and a student-athlete is a serious demand. With meetings, homework, practice and games, it can be hard to find time to do all those things and do them well.

Once a student starts cheering, they really can't do Girl Scouts because of the time commitment, Gilmore-Harris said. But she found a way around that.

"I take a practice day and give it to them for Girl Scouts," she said. "So, I make sure it can happen."

Every Wednesday is Girl Scout study day. The cheerleaders are expected to come to their troop meeting and then go home and study. There is no practice.

"They are putting the same work in as any other Girl Scout troop, as student-athletes," Gilmore-Harris said. "They are not getting any slack because they are cheerleaders."

The squad has embraced the added pressure that goes along with being a cheerleader and Girl Scout.

"Everywhere we go, there is always someone that knows our coach," said Alexia Rickenbach, captain of the squad. "So, we always have to respect ourselves and respect others to get that reputation."

Known as "sashes and pom-poms," they have formed tight-knitted relationships with one another.

"Our meetings also give us an opportunity to bond as a team," Rickenbach said. "It also gives us the opportunity for troop bonding."

Working together

During the troop meetings, Scouts break into small groups and discuss current events, bullying, discrimination and community service.

"That right there is bonding itself," said Everett, a senior. "We learn a lot more about each other and what each other knows about certain things. There are some things I thought some girls would be blinded to, but they really know about certain things going on world now. It's refreshing, because most people don't pay attention to the news but this team does."

"Girl Scouts help us with life itself," Everett added. "We do talk about a lot of things that go on outside of school and outside of Girl Scouts. If you're stuck in a certain situation and you don't really know how to fix it or go about it, (being) here having talked about it, helps us clear our minds."

When the squad isn't practicing their cheers or stunts they can be found doing community service, like the time they helped clean up City Park to earn their Earth Day badge.

"We spent four hours together. Just bonding (and) cleaning the park," Rickenbach said. "It helps us with that good reputation. It gives us experience being out in the world. When we are all together we feel unstoppable."

Gilmore-Harris, who has coached at Reading High for 10 years and was born and raised in Reading, has made it her purpose to improve the city by ingraining in her cheerleaders to be better people.

"Anyone can coach for the wins and losses," Gilmore-Harris said. "I coach to make better citizens."

And the groundbreaking combining of cheerleader and Girl Scout has made a difference.

"It's wonderful," said Lea-Reigel, who is also the troop leader. "It's a relationship that builds. They are already inspiring people as cheerleaders now they are inspiring more girls under the Girl Scout tag line of go-getter, innovators, risk takers and leaders."

Joining the troop/squad has been life changing for most of the girls, who proudly wear their Girl Scout sashes emblazoned with buttons and badges during their meetings, football games and other community events.

"When I first started out in Girl Scouts I wasn't really talking to people," said Burns, a junior. "I was kind of shy. Getting into Girl Scouts made me open up more. I got to meet loads of new people, do more activities and be more interactive with other girls."

Overall the experience has been good, Gilmore-Harris said.

"They have been able to call something their own, something that is unique to them," she said.

"I keep telling them no one is going to remember who won that first-place trophy 20 years ago," Gilmore-Harris added. "But everybody is going to remember you were the first troop ever to be a Girl Scout/cheerleader."